12 November 2012

Lockheed sees increased Singapore interest in F-35 fighter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Singapore
is showing increased interest in buying Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter, a top executive with the company said late on Thursday, a week after China unveiled
a second stealth fighter called the J-31.

Lockheed is building three variants of the stealthy warplane
for the U.S. military and eight
international partners --Britain,
Australia, Canada, Norway,
Denmark, Italy, Turkey
and the Netherlands,
which are helping fund the plane's development.

Singapore
became a security partner on the international fighter program in February
2003, along with Israel,
which has already ordered an initial batch of the jets.

As security partners, Singapore
and Israel
both pledged to contribute about $50 million to the F-35 development effort, according
to the globalsecurity.org website.

"Their (Singapore's)
interest in the program is still quite strong," Tom Burbage, general
manager of the F-35 program, told Reuters late on Thursday after a speech to the
Royal

Aeronautical Society at the British embassy in Washington.

"Their activity has picked up a little bit and it makes
us think that they're going to become more active," Burbage said, when
asked about Singapore's
plans to place F-35 orders.

Washington
is actively encouraging more exports of weapons systems such as the F-35 to
strengthen ties with allies, and offset a budget-driven decline in its own
procurement programs.

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are
traveling to Asia this month for a variety of visits, and to participate in the
annual summit of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or
ASEAN, which includes Singapore.

Washington has sought to
consolidate ties and reinforce U.S.
influence across Asia as part of a "pivot" toward the region as the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
wind down.

No Formal Deal Yet

Shenyang J-31 fighter (photo : migflug)Burbage said Lockheed officials were engaged in a close dialogue
with Singapore
about its interest in buying some of the F-35 fighter jets, and often visited
the Asian country.

But he said Singapore
had not made any formal agreements to buy the jets, or when such purchases
could occur.

Defense consultant Loren Thompson said China's military expansion was putting
increasing pressure on Singapore
and other countries in the region to buy next-generation fighter planes.

"Every time China
tests a new fighter it's a wake-up call for countries like Singapore,"
Thompson said.

Chinese media last week published images of a second Chinese
stealth fighter jet after it made its maiden flight in the northeast province of Liaoning. {ID:nL3E8M23LS]

Aviation experts said the plane bore a strong resemblance to
the F-35, fueling U.S.
concerns about Chinese espionage efforts that were underscored in a draft of
the 2012 report to Congress by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review
Commission.

Singapore
will also host the first U.S.
littoral combat ship, "Freedom," which was also built by Lockheed,
for a 10-month deployment next year.

Singapore
is strategically located along the Strait of Malacca, the chief link between
the Indian and PacificOceans through which
about 40 percent of world trade flows.

Burbage said the F-35 program was doing well and was 21 percent
ahead of schedule with test flights for the year.

He said Air Force Major General Christopher Bogdan would assume
control of the Pentagon's F-35 program office on Dec. 6, a date confirmed by
the Pentagon. Bogdan will receive a third star when he is promoted to
lieutenant general the week before.

Bogdan, who will replace retiring Navy Vice Admiral David Venlet
as the program executive officer, is a "very fast learner," Burbage
told business executives at the embassy event.

Bogdan visited the Fort
Worth, Texas plant
where Lockheed builds the F-35, in October, a month after he described ties between
Lockheed and the Pentagon as the "worst I've ever seen."

Burbage said Bogdan had a good visit to Fort Worth, and Lockheed was looking forward
to working with both him and Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackely, who will
oversee major acquisition decisions on the F-35.